HONOLULU - Preliminary opening credit enrollment figures for the University of Hawai'i system indicate that there are 50,804 students registered for classes at the university's 10 campuses statewide for the fall 2007 semester. This number reflects an increase of 494 students, or 1 percent, compared to fall 2006.

"UH system enrollment has remained steady at the 50,000 level since fall 2003," said UH Vice President for Academic Planning and Policy Linda Johnsrud. "We are pleased that this remains to be the case as the university enters the second year of its scheduled tuition increases. Our campuses are reaching out to students, both recent graduates and returning adults, to make sure they understand that higher education is a good investment."

Enrollment at UH Hilo, UH West O'ahu and the UH Community Colleges increased from a year ago, while UH Manoa experienced a slight decrease from a year ago. Enrollment at UH Manoa stands at 20,006, which is 301 fewer students, or 1.5 percent, than at a comparable date in fall 2006.

"Our Manoa campus enrollment is basically level, meaning that many impressive students continue to select UH Manoa as their destination of choice. We're working hard to make our campus learning environment even better by placing a high priority on our students' success from entry to graduation, and also by improving the physical condition of our facilities to ensure a great experience for them," said UH Manoa Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw.

UH Hilo's opening fall enrollment increased to 3,608, a gain of 91 students, or 2.6 percent, compared to a year ago.

"We continue to be very excited with our enrollment growth, which has been consistently increasing over the last few years," said UH Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng. "We offer many programs that are unique to UH Hilo, including our College of Pharmacy, which started its inaugural class this fall. Our infrastructure is also steadily increasing and undergoing improvements to handle this growth. All of this is a reflection of the quality of education our students receive at UH Hilo."

At UH West O'ahu, opening fall enrollment increased to 971, a gain of 74 students, or 8.2 percent, compared to a year ago.

"We are very excited to see the growing interest in UH West O'ahu and the programs we have to offer students as illustrated by our enrollment increase this semester, which is primarily due to our inaugural freshman class," said UH West O'ahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni. "As we look forward to our new campus in Kapolei, we continue our efforts to fulfill the higher education needs of 'Ewa and Leeward O'ahu families and look forward to even more students enrolling at our campus in the future."

Enrollment at the UH Community Colleges stands at 26,219, an increase of 630 students, or 2.5 percent, compared to a year ago. Hawai'i, Kapi'olani, Leeward, Maui and Windward campuses reported increases ranging from 2.4 percent to 8.4 percent, while Honolulu and Kaua'i campuses reported decreases of 2.8 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'IEstablished in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawai'i is the state's sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawai'i, the U.S. mainland, and around the world. For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu.